All that jazz at UW-Parkside
Note: This article is for Jazz Week 2019. To see information about Jazz Week 2020, please go to uwp.edu/jazz.
Parkside invites you to enjoy and celebrate the musical genre hailed as one of America’s most original art forms, jazz! From March 18 to 23, Jazz Week comes to the Bedford Concert Hall at the Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts & Humanities. Jazz Week features an abundance of high-quality performances and talks from world-class musicians and jazz experts.
This year’s performers include Adam Nussbaum’s “Leadbelly Project,” the Josh Berman Quartet, Kris Davis & Borderlands Trio, Greg Ward & Onye Ozuzu, and Henry Johnson, as well as the Parkside Jazz faculty and student ensembles. Jazz Week also includes local high school jazz ensembles from many area schools.
On March 18, come see Adam Nussbaum’s “Leadbelly Project” in Bedford Concert Hall at 7 p.m. to hear one of the finest drummers working today. Nussbaum has been involved with many other prominent artists from several generations and has recorded hundreds of tracks, including the Grammy-winning “Don’t Try This At Home.”
On March 19, the Josh Berman Quartet will grace the Bedford Concert Hall at 7 p.m. Josh Berman has been an essential contributor to Chicago’s active improvised music scene.
On March 20, Kris Davis & Borderlands Trio take to the stage at 7 p.m. Pianist-composer Kris Davis was named the 2017 Rising Star Pianist by Downbeat magazine and was dubbed one of music’s top up-and-comers in the 2012 New York Times article “New Pilots and the Keyboard.”
Those three aforementioned events are free to the public, with Q & A sessions set to follow to the concert.
On March 21, Jazz composer and musician Greg Ward along with acclaimed dance administrator, performing artist, choreographer, and educator Onye Ozuzu will present a new live music and dance work based on one of the most acclaimed jazz records of the 20th century, Charles Mingus’ 1963 album Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. Greg Ward & Onye Ozuzu’s performance, “Touch My Beloved’s Thought,” is at 7 p.m. in Bedford Concert Hall. General admission is $10 and student/staff/senior admission is $5.
On March 22, the Parkside Jazz faculty will perform at 12 p.m. in Bedford Concert Hall. This free, one-hour concert will feature Russ Johnson on trumpet, Chris Madsen on saxophone, Jim Sodke on piano, Tim Ipsen on bass, and Dave Bayles on drums.
At 7 p.m., the Parkside Jazz Ensemble will perform alongside several high school jazz ensembles from Bradford, Indian Trail, Tremper, and Wilmot. General admission is $10 and student/staff/senior admission is $5.
Finally, on March 23, Grammy-nominated guitarist and vocalist Henry Johnson will perform in Bedford Concert Hall at 7 p.m. Henry Johnson has performed and recorded with numerous critically acclaimed artists over the years, such as Dizzy Gillespie. His latest group is comprised of piano, sax, bass, and drums. They’ll be performing some jazz favorites and original songs. This show is sponsored by S.E. Wisconsin Hearing Center, Inc. Though the event is free, contributions to music scholarships are appreciated.
UW-Parkside would like to thank the Kenosha Community Foundation and the Southeast Wisconsin Hearing Center for their sponsorship of Jazz Week events. More information about Jazz Week events can be found on the Parkside website (uwp.edu/Jazz). Don’t be a square, swing on by Parkside to enjoy jazz at The Rita!